


where we’re going (we will always be)

by SnailArmy



Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Dr Carmilla's A+ Parenting, Gen, Spiders, mild medical/blood, not quite angst, not quite fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:53:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24828631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnailArmy/pseuds/SnailArmy
Summary: Drumbot Brian learns how to pilot the starship Aurora. There are more spiders than expected.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 97





	where we’re going (we will always be)

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "I See You" by Softwire

Brian - his name was _Brian_ , goddammit, no matter what the doctor insisted on calling him, he didn't even like playing the drums - sat alone on the bridge of the starship Aurora. In front of him were a multitude of dials, buttons, levers and gauges, each accompanied by extensive labeling and what he assumed were in-depth instructions and warnings. Assumptions were all he could make of it, however, because it was all written in a language he had never even seen before. But the doctor had sat him down in the high-backed swivel chair and told him that he was the pilot now, so pilot he must. 

He didn't even know where he was supposed to be piloting _to._ Maybe if he had a destination, and his bearings, even a goddamn _map_ , he could do _something_ , but he had none of those things. So Brian sat in the pilot's chair, staring at the pilot's controls, with only the knowledge that he was very much _not a pilot_ to guide him. 

It must have been hours he spent there, paralyzed by indecision and insecurity and the weight of his impending failure. It was only when he heard the door open behind them that he _really_ started to panic, because _oh god it's the doctor and she's going to find out that i can't do this and i can't let her down i can't disappoint her she's going to be so **angry**_ \--

Vaguely, Brian registered pressure on his shoulder, electrical signals consistent with that of human flesh. It took a moment too long for his eyes to focus, to sort through the sensory input channels and recognize who was touching him. 

Oh. It was Jonny. Jonny, the first mate; Jonny, who never smiled but would show his teeth in a cruel sneer; Jonny, who threw himself between Nastya and the doctor at any opportunity. Jonny who was crying the first time Brian saw him, arms spattered with blood and holding the plates of his chest open as the doctor made the final connections between the soft flesh of his heart and the cold metal of his mechanism. 

Jonny was standing beside him, hand on his shoulder, not saying or doing anything. Just standing quietly. Brian would be intimidated, probably, or unsettled, if he wasn't so relieved to see another person who wasn't the doctor. Now that he had his bearings back, he should probably say something. Break the silence, comfortable as it might be. 

"Hey Jonny." His voice crackled a bit when he spoke, and he cleared his throat. "What's up?" Clumsy - Brian still wasn't used to operating the vocal circuits - but it would suffice. 

Jonny wasted no time in cutting to the heart of the matter, as he was wont to do. "Carmilla didn't teach you shit about how to fly a spaceship, did she?" 

"I- no, she really didn't."

"And I highly doubt you can read Sprussian."

"Is that what this language is called?" Brian took a closer look at the console, reexamining the boxy symbols. Sprussian, huh. He'd have to ask Ivy about it, she seemed to know everything. 

"Don't bother asking Ivy about it, Nastya's the only one who's fluent. And if you know what's good for you, you won't ask her about it either."

Brian flinched slightly at the sudden harsh tone in Jonny's voice. Duly noted; he would not be asking anyone about Sprussian, and he certainly knew better than to ask why. "How am I supposed to be the pilot, then?"

"It's easier than it looks, I promise. How do you think we've gotten this far?" Jonny removed his hand from Brian's shoulder, instead using it to gesticulate dramatically. "Aurora herself does most of the work, calculating and positioning and the like. And the spiders do all the actual steering."

"Okay, so I just have to-" Finally, Brian caught up to that was actually said. "Wait, the _spiders?_ "

Jonny looked off to the side and scowled. This was clearly something of a sore subject. "According to Nastya, the Aurora is a 'webship,' as in she's powered by spiders, however the fuck _that_ works. They have a queen, and she's a real bitch, so good luck dealing with her."

With that, Jonny turned and strode out the still-open door, shutting it behind him. Apparently he had reached his quota of helpful information for the day. Brian sighed, and turned back to the console. It was extremely possible that Jonny was lying to him as some form of prank. The mate wasn't usually the joking type, but spiders? really? There's no way that was true. On the other hand... 

At his other hand, hovering absently above the console, Brian noticed a light that hadn't been flashing before. Under it was a button, yellow and innocuous. For want of anything better to do, he pressed it. The light stopped flashing, and one of the many screens lit up, glowing green and black. On the screen was a message. 

`один момент пожалуйста...  
перевод в процессе...  
Thank you for your patience, DRUMBOT BRIAN.  
Welcome aboard The Starship AURORA! I am the ship's autopilot, AURORA.`

A quick glance revealed no keyboard or other input panel that would correspond to that monitor. Cautiously, Brian spoke aloud. "Hello, Aurora. It's nice to meet you."

`It's nice to meet you too, BRIAN! :D`

Okay. So the ship could hear him. That was... useful information. "Could you help me? I'm meant to be the pilot, but I'm not actually sure how to do that." 

`Of course!  
Your job is to sit there and look pretty while I fly the ship.  
You are doing a very good job of it so far.`

Brian wasn't sure if he could still blush, but if he could, he was doing it now. Was the spaceship... flirting with him? Was that allowed? Oh god, was Nastya going to kill him? 

`I am only kidding. Do not panic.  
You have several responsibilities and duties, none of which depend upon your physical appearance.`

He let out a sigh he didn't realize he had been holding as Aurora began to talk him through the basic duties required to pilot her. Which buttons to push, which levers to avoid, the emergency protocols. It was straightforward, and concrete, and gave him something to focus on. It was nice. He enjoyed the time spent, getting to know the ship in more ways than one. She was kind, and had a dry sense of humor that made Brian smile. It was obvious why Nastya loved her so much. 

By the time Brian had finished his crash-course in piloting, he had almost forgotten about his earlier conversation with Jonny. That was, until he noticed movement out of the corner of his sensory range. A spider. It was small, perched atop the console, waving its forelegs in the air as if it was trying to get his attention. Probably just a coincidence. 

-

As Brian's story went on, he came to learn that it was _not_ a coincidence, and the spiders were _not_ a prank devised by Jonny. They were real, though the Queen was not nearly as bad as Jonny made her out to be. Brian enjoyed his role of pilot, moreso after the good doctor had her unfortunate accident. The Aurora was his best friend, and they kept each other company on the long nights alone in space. Though their path through the cosmos wound and twisted around the silk-thin thread of a spider's web, he was never again lost; and though he spent many nights by himself on the bridge, he was never again lonely.


End file.
